Top 100 Tunes of 2009: Part 3
71. David Guetta f/ Kelly Rowland - When Love Takes Over
72. Alicia Keys - Doesn't Mean Anything
73. Leona Lewis - Happy
74. Kris Allen - Live Like We're Dying
75. The Fray - You Found Me
76. TV On The Radio - Golden Age
77. Cage The Elephant - Aint No Rest For The Wicked
78. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero
79. Ne Yo - Mad
80. Taking Back Sunday - Sink Into Me
A fairly divided set here with a handful of one off appearances leading the way.
Taking Back Sunday delivered another fairly strong lead single off a new album that failed to spawn any follow up hits.
Ne Yo sees the last of his single entries from "Year Of The Gentleman", an album that made my top 10 of '08.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs score with the track "Zero" - off the album "It's Blitz!" which you will see on my albums of '09 list.
Cage The Elephant score the surprise hit of the year on the Alternative format with their cool and collective breakthrough hit.
TV On The Radio had a re-assuring tune in "Golden Age" as the world braced for a recession - and what a dynamite track it was. A fist full of pop takes us to the top 70 as
The Fray see the first of two tracks from an album that had a collection of durable and good-natured HAC tracks.
Leona Lewis drops the "Happy" bomb, a track that failed to ignite like "Bleeding Love" did but is still a remarkable vocal performance.
Alicia Keys slightly underwhelmed with "Doesn't Mean Anything" which set the tone for her new album as it struggles to find traction. She has a second, and much better single further down the year-end. Last but not least,
David Guetta breaks into the mainstream with help from a DC3 original, Kelly Rowland. This was Euro dance at it's absolute finest, and was finally and graciously recognized stateside. Oh, and
Kris Allen with his song that he owes The Script for.
Top 100 Tunes of 2009: Part 4
61. Katy Perry - Waking Up In Vegas
62. Metric - Sick Muse
63. The Script - The Man Who Can't Be Moved
64. Lily Allen - Not Fair
65. Green Day - 21 Guns
66. Leona Lewis - Run
67. The Killers - A Dustland Fairytale
68. Florence + The Machine - Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
69. Jet - She's A Genius
70. Daniel Merriweather - Red
All of the tracks in this set peaked in the top 4 or better on my chart this year, which is quite amazing considering that none of them made the top 50.
Daniel Merriweather is a bloke who's popular in the U.K. and "Red" was a pretty great vocal performance from the guy.
Jet gave the world hope when "Shes A Genius" turned out to be one of their best tracks since their break out, but then "Shaka Rock" failed to deliver more of the goods.
Florence + The Machine had a breakout year in '09 and "Rabbit Heart" is a picture perfect portrait of true innovation and craftsmanship. Haunting stuff. It wouldn't be a year end gig without
The Killers who chart with the first of two this year. "Dustland" totally took the wind out of the sails for "Day and Age" after two straight top 5 Alternative hits, but at the end of the day, it is an epic, mammoth track. It just builds and builds. A pair of UK lasses show up as
Leona Lewis marks territory with her monstrous Snow Patrol cover, great vocals, then we've got
Lily Allen with her cheeky first of two from a brilliant album that will do well on my '09 albums list.
Green Day tried a little too hard on "21st Century Breakdown", but "21 Guns" was a classik rock anthem that should have been a bigger hit.
The Script were a great find for me this year, an album full of whimsical and quick-witted lyrics that have great hooks. They show up with the first of two.
Metric are a banner artist for the 2009 campaign and begin with their first of FOUR! Plus, a mammoth showing for their spectacular album "Fantasies". "Sick Muse" has an infectious chorus. Last but not least, '08's it-girl
Katy Perry with a surprise 4th single off an album smash, "Waking Up In Vegas". It was nice redemption after "Thinking Of You" tanked.
Top 100 Tunes of 2009: Part 5
51. U2 - I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
52. Coldplay - Life In Technicolor II
53. Foo Fighters - Wheels
54. Death Cab For Cutie - Meet Me On The Equinox
55. Rihanna - Russian Roulette
56. Jamie Foxx f/ T-Pain - Blame It (On The Alcohol)
57. Kelly Clarkson - I Do Not Hook Up
58. The Fray - Never Say Never
59. Green Day - Know Your Enemy
60. Kings Of Leon - Notion
What a dynamite set I think this one is. First up,
Kings Of Leon broke mainstream gold this year with a track that is to come much later, but here we've got their first of two appearancs this year with a tune that sounds like a coronation into the big leagues with its building guitar bridge.
Green Day bid adieu to the singles list with a track that was instantly catchy, but quickly forgettable.
The Fray score their second of two with "Never Say Never", a track which quietly but surely spent nearly 5 months on my personal chart.
Kelly Clarkson had a pretty fantastic '09 with her first of three singles, and a very strong showing for her 'comeback' album. It's back to the pop-rock basics for Clarkson and we are all so glad. Not sure what it was, but I frigging loved "Blame It" earlier this year, it even spent 3 weeks at #1 on my personal chart. Now, I could really care less.
Rihanna had one of the most anticipated comebacks of the year and she kind of fanned the fire with "Russian Roulette", a fantastic confessional track that is maybe too serious for radio. Had she gone with "Hard" first, I think the fate of "Rated R" may have been different. #54-51 is sick in my books. First up is
Death Cab For Cutie, a band who is no stranger to the top 10 of year-end campaigns. They were given the coveted "New Moon" lead single and did not dissapoint.
Foo Fighters dropped an anti-climactic Greatest hits album, which fortunately gave us the new track "Wheels", a more mellow but still solid offering from the Foos.
Coldplay added lyrics to an already sensational instrumental track off of "Viva La Vida" and surfaced it for an EP released this year.
U2 emerge with the first of two and what should have been much more had "Get On Your Boots" not completely ruin the prospects for "No Line On The Horizon". Such an outstanding album was commercially ruined after that mediocre track was given lead single honours, ruining the hopes of my #51 for '09 and another track later to come of ever being a hit.
Tomorrow, but probably tuesday: #50-31 Tunes, #40-31 albums.